This invention relates to control circuits for the control of gas discharge tubes, and more particularly relates to a novel electronic ballast circuit for gas discharge tubes, particularly a fluorescent tube, which eliminates the need for a large inductive impednace and which permits a wide dimming range for the fluorescent tube.
Ballast circuits for fluorescent tubes are well known, and generally require a large and expensive inductance to prevent excessive tube current since the tube has a negative resistance characteristic. It is also known that fluorescent tubes are difficult to dim over an even modest brightness range.